Woman jailed for making £500,000 worth of nuisance calls
A woman who made more than 700 malicious calls to the emergency services and once broke the wrist of a police officer attending an unnecessary callout has been handed a two-year prison sentence.
Sharna Dixon, 27, of Sheerness, admitted one count of malicious communications and one count of grievous bodily harm without intent and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday (June 15).
Between November 2017 and February 2020, despite numerous offers of advice and support, Dixon repeatedly called the emergency services. Of these calls, 473 were made to the South East Coast Ambulance Service, which is believed to have cost the NHS £93,654.
Dixon also called Kent Police 162 times and the Kent Coastguard 67 times, with the cost in wasted Coastguard resources estimated to be £350,000. She also called other support services despite not genuinely needing help.
On September 27, 2019, Dixon called Kent Police to a canal near Halfway Road, Minster on Sea, and when patrols found her, she pushed an attending officer into the water. He suffered a broken wrist and grazing as a result of the assault.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Jacqueline Mennie, said: “Despite Dixon’s behaviour, Kent Police and several local agencies attempted to help her numerous times, however she always refused to engage and continued to maliciously call the emergency services.
“This behaviour is not acceptable and diverts crews and officers away from genuine people who may critically require help. I hope Dixon’s sentence reinforces this message.”
